BATL unveils packed 2026 tournament and league schedule

BATL’s 2026 tournament board now stretches across three cities and two countries, with the Ottawa Open running June 19-21 in Ottawa, the Portlands Open set for Aug. 28-30 in Toronto, and the Charlotte Open scheduled for Sept. 11-13 in Charlotte. That is not an ad hoc list of weekend throwdowns. It is a calendar, and it reads like one.

The structure behind it matters just as much as the dates. BATL’s league format runs seven weeks, with six seasons a year, league nights on Sundays from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. and Monday through Wednesday from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m., and playoffs in week seven. The top 16 competitors face off for the season title, and regular-season matches can be rescheduled if a player is absent. At $135 plus tax, or about $20 per person per week, the setup gives throwers a repeatable path from league nights to bracket pressure.

That pipeline is what makes the tournament slate more than a venue listing. A player in Ottawa can spend weeks chasing standings, then step into a larger field with actual ranking stakes, while Toronto and Charlotte keep their own local ladders alive. For a sport still fighting for legitimacy beyond novelty nights, a steady league-and-tournament chain is the difference between isolated events and a working competitive season.

BATL has spent years building that structure. The Backyard Axe Throwing League says it was founded in a Toronto backyard by CEO Matt Wilson in 2006, opened its first warehouse location in Toronto in 2011, expanded to three Toronto locations by 2013, went national in 2015 and entered the U.S. in 2017. The company says more than 2 million people have thrown axes at its North American locations, and its current site lists 17 locations across North America.

The venue footprint backs up the schedule. BATL’s Ottawa location sits at 2615 Lancaster Rd #29, Ottawa, ON K1B 5L8, with reservation hours Monday through Friday from 12 p.m. to 10 p.m., Saturday from 12 p.m. to 11 p.m. and Sunday from 12 p.m. to 8 p.m. Walk-ins are available Monday through Wednesday from 5 p.m. to 10 p.m., Thursday and Friday from 3 p.m. to 10 p.m., Saturday from 12 p.m. to 11 p.m. and Sunday from 12 p.m. to 8 p.m. In Charlotte, BATL’s current booking page highlights Charlotte LoSo and Charlotte Plaza, giving the Sept. 11-13 stop a real local base instead of a temporary pop-up feel.

BATL also says its event offerings can handle bookings for up to 200 throwers, which is part of the point: the company is selling axe throwing as both a night out and a bona fide league sport. With Ottawa already in the books and Toronto and Charlotte still ahead, the 2026 slate looks less like a novelty calendar and more like a season.